Pilsen artist honors his son and calls for peace with a mural

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Updated: November 3, 2011 9:52AM

Pilsen artist Jeff Abbey Maldonado Sr. was alerted recently that the mural he was painting in memory of his slain son had been defaced. Overnight, someone had painted an X on his son’s larger-than-life portrait.

That same morning, the artist repaired the mural.

“This is the nature of public art — regardless of what happens,” said Maldonado after repainting his son’s face.

The mural at 18th and Paulina is part of the J-Def Peace Project, which seeks to educate young people about violence and provide an alternative — through the arts — to gangs.

Jeff Abbey Maldonado Jr., or “J-Def,” as his friends called him, was killed two years ago, one day after his 19th birthday. A gang-banger gunned down young Jeff, who was on his way to get a haircut, on a Pilsen street.

It was a tragic case of mistaken identity in a community plagued by gang violence. The killer was arrested and is in prison.

Young Jeff was an aspiring hip-hop artist and wanted to go to Columbia College. On the day he was killed, he was supposed to do his first public performance.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the courageous parents of “J-Def” launched the anti-violence initiative on the second anniversary of his death. I was impressed by the couple’s resilience and desire to stop the senseless violence that killed their only son.

And now the mural in memory of their son is finished. A group of 30 teenagers — from different races and backgrounds — helped to paint the mural through collaboration with the After School Matters program, the Pilsen Resurrection Project and Pro Arts Studio. The kids worked on the project for six weeks. Jeff Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth, hope to unveil the mural next week.

The mural, which occupies half a city block, is dedicated to “the innocent victims of gang violence.” On the left side, it shows a portrait of young Jeff in blue tones. To its right, one can read the lyrics of a song he wrote: “We need to work hard to make the world better. Stop killing each other. Start working together.”

In the middle section, there are two hands — one holding a school diploma and the other a candle. A silhouette behind jail bars occupies the space between the hands, with the legend “Make smart choices” written underneath.

“The message that we want to convey to young people in our community is that they have to make choices,” Maldonado told me. “And that every resident of Pilsen — young and old — needs to get involved in making our streets safe.”

Coincidently, last week, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy launched “A Force For Good,” an initiative — they hope — to help community organizations reduce violence in Chicago neighborhoods.

“A Force For Good” is a two-year program that will provide 25 local organizations with training to obtain grants and resources to stop violence before it happens.

The J-Def Peace Project has already achieved that goal with the mural: getting kids out of trouble in the summer and giving them the opportunity to participate in a public art project.

When I first wrote about this, I suggested that the mayor should meet with the Maldonados to get to know their unique initiative. Recently, I asked Emanuel about it and he said he has no problem meeting this remarkable couple.

I’d suggest the mayor attend the unveiling of the mural. His presence will send a strong message to the residents of Pilsen and other communities that halting gang violence is everybody’s responsibility.

And, as a sort of bonus, the mayor would see that Maldonado’s work is a powerful addition to the outstanding murals in the Pilsen neighborhood.